


Dancing by the Method

by StrictlyFromCorn (orphan_account)



Series: Fred Astaire x Ginger Rogers [9]
Category: Astaire/Rogers RPF, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers Movies
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 12:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/StrictlyFromCorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While filming "Change Partners", Fred and Ginger start bantering about method acting and his acting abilities. Ginger proposes a scenario for him to imagine as they dance - and he sneaks something very unexpected by the camera.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dancing by the Method

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Samantha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samantha/gifts).



> This is for the lovely Samantha, who leaves incredible comments on my fanfictions! <3 I hope you enjoy! (And now, off to work on my AU!)

**_Method acting -_** _(mass noun.)_ a technique of acting in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part.

 

 

* * *

 

"Do you think we're ready to shoot the dance?" The director, Mark Sandrich, aimed the inquiry at his two dancing stars, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Mark had worked with them on four other movies before, and if there was one thing he had learned it was that it wasn't easy. Fred was the biggest taskmaster on himself that Mark had ever seen, and first takes were especially hard on him.

From experience, he knew that Fred was terribly insecure about dancing, despite the fact that he was probably the best in the country. He would control his jitters on-screen, but once the camera was off, and he had retreated to the privacy of his dressing room, he was a mess. Mark didn't know what went on in there, and frankly, he didn't want to know. He had seen Fred and Ginger come out of there with grins as wide as the state of Texas and their hair would be all messed up and their clothes would be rumpled. But on other occasions, he had heard yelling in there, as well as snapping noises. At any rate, as long as he projected that suave image on screen, Mark didn't have any business with what went on in the dressing room.

"I think we are. What about you, Feathers?" Fred asked his dancing partner with a small smile, referring to her by the nickname he had coined for her. He wasn't gonna let _that_ go any time soon, oh no. It was something that he prized, something that brought the two of them closer together.

"Why not?" Ginger responded from her place on the bench, holding out both her arms for him to take. He did so, kissing both her hands as she stood up. The gesture brought a light blush to both her cheeks, and a smile crossed her face.

"All right, everyone, set the cameras up!" Mark yelled, walking away from the two dancers to attend to other matters. Fred said nothing to her, but he definitely thought that she looked stunning in that black dress. He loved placing his hand against her bare back when they danced, and the lift at the very end had taken countless hours of rehearsal.

"You know, from the way you're looking at me, it's pretty darn obvious you're not in character." Ginger spoke, raising an eyebrow in his direction. Her blue gaze flickered to his lips and there was a sudden longing within her to feel the pressure of his lips against hers.

"Not in character? How do you mean?" Fred inquired out of curiosity. He thought of himself as a decent actor, at least, and Ginger had never issued any complaints about his acting abilities in the past. "It's only a dance. We don't need to be _terribly_ in-character." With a half-smile on his face, he let his gaze wander along to her lips as well, although he didn't make that fact too obvious.

"Well, you know, Tony Flagg does want to kiss Amanda Cooper pretty badly. Except he can't. You want to kiss me - how badly, I don't know - but you can. You've gotta get into character. Pretend that you can't kiss me under the circumstances, and that you haven't kissed me properly in weeks - months, if you can stretch your imagination that far." Ginger knew for a fact that he was a good kisser, and the whole cast and crew had found that out during the shooting of "I Used to be Color Blind".

"Months? That _is_ a stretch." Fred placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in for a quick kiss. "I don't envy Tony at all." The two of them had grown used to kissing and displaying their affection in front of the crew members - and newcomers were always confused, because they thought that the two dancers didn't get along. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"But you're playing him, so you should try to be like him." Ginger placed a finger on her lips just as he was about to plant another kiss. "Try not kissing me. In the context of the film, you're frustrated. Very frustrated." It was no secret as to what "frustrated" in that context meant to the two of them.

"This is gonna hurt for you tonight, you know?" Fred asked playfully, referring to what went on off-camera. "We'd best get the dance finished today, since it's probably going to hurt too much for you tomorrow." He flirtatiously gazed right into her brilliant blue eyes, which sparkled with laughter and a playful challenge.

"Oh, shut your face." Ginger shook her head with a grin. "I hope you haven't forgotten that we're supposed to dine with others tonight. It's going to be a lot of fun." She pretended to make a study of her nails, which she had just painted a dark red color.

"Are you gonna make me wait _that_ long tonight?" He feigned shock at the revelation, although he hadn't forgotten. Fred never forgot anything, unless it was intentional. Like the time he "forgot" that Ginger was going to be wearing high heels in the "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" dance. Honestly, he just wanted to frustrate her. But she did the jump up the stairs anyway - heels or no heels. That was what he loved about Ginger. She _never_ gave up. "And anyway, you can't spell "fun" without "f" and "u"." Fred added with an impish grin.

"We've been doing it for five nights in a row already. I think you can wait." She responded teasingly. "Besides, it's supposed to help your acting. It's called method acting. You draw on your personal memories to become completely immersed in the character's feelings, and that works, I guess." Ginger looked up to see a half-puzzled, half-amused expression on Fred's face. "All right, just think of this. What if this was really our last dance together? What if... we were going to get married to different people? What if we wouldn't ever see each other again? Even though we do... love each other." She hated to think of the scenario that she had conjured up, but it seemed to have an adverse effect on her dancing partner.

"God forbid." Fred's voice dropped to a soft whisper and he placed a hand on her shoulder. The softness in his gaze and his affection for her was evident, and that melted a tiny corner of Ginger's heart as well. "I could never let that happen." With that, he pulled her into a tight embrace, willing the two of them to stay together for the rest of their lives.

"I know you wouldn't, but it somehow happened to Tony and Amanda." Ginger rested her head on his shoulder, trying her best not to wrinkle his black tailcoat. "Pretend." She whispered, her hand rubbing up and down his back in a gesture of comfort.

"Mr. A, Miss R., we're ready to start shooting!" One of the crew members called, breaking them out of their private world. They stepped apart reluctantly, and Fred brushed a lock of her blonde hair away from her face.

"I think I know one thing Tony Flagg _will_ do." He added under his breath as the two of them took their places in front of the camera. Ginger was left wondering what he meant by that statement, although she figured that she would find out anyway. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. She hated suspense.

"And, _action!_ " Mark called, cueing the music to start. Fred and Ginger easily performed the dance that they had rehearsed for so long - all their movements were fluid and natural, giving the impression of perfection that they had become so famous for. The moment the cameras were on, the atmosphere became romantic, even sensual, as everyone stopped still and watched the two dancers perform their act. Even from their first dance together, five years ago, there was an unmistakable chemistry between them. Those that knew them closely identified it correctly - love.

For some reason, when Fred touched Ginger, she felt almost as if a spark of electricity had gone through her. She immersed herself completely in the moment - hypnotized, and trusting herself completely to him. They had made some pretty bad jokes about the scenario while rehearsing, and it often resulted in the two of them getting much too aggressive with their kissing. Once that happened, Hermes Pan and the rehearsal pianist often left the room awkwardly, but the two dancers always seemed to forget their presence.

Since she was facing away from him, Ginger couldn't quite tell if Fred was acting by the Method, like she had playfully suggested a while ago, but she could tell there was a certain delicacy to the way he touched her. It was light, it was tender, almost as if he was counting the number of times that he could touch her physically before he wouldn't see her any more. Fred lost himself in the character of Tony Flagg; for a moment, he truly suspended reality and let himself believe that that was his last dance with Ginger. The thought was horrible, but it let him truly express how much he cared for her and loved her.

The electricity between them was almost palpable, and any person with eyes could see that the two of them were madly in love with each other. Fred raised his hand, and Ginger released herself into a backbend. Initially, when he suggested the idea while dancing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", she was apprehensive. She didn't trust him to not let her fall as some sort of practical joke. But since then, she had learned that he was always there for her. _Always_. Though they loved playing pranks on each other, Fred never let her fall. She glimpsed his expression,and it nearly blew her away. All his affection was contained in that face, and she was aware of how she loved him; more than anything else in the world.

The backbend was over with sooner than Ginger thought it would have been, and the two were on their feet again. He continued to lead her in the dance, and she placed complete faith in him. She spun away from him, her back facing the camera, and once again, Fred's expression stunned her. That one look said more to her than his words ever expressed.

_I love you, and I'm never going to let you go._

It set her heart racing, and for a moment, she lost herself in his beautiful hazel gaze. Almost as if she were spellbound, Ginger took a few slow steps towards him. A feeling of intense contentment raced through her when his hand touched her bare back, and their faces were two inches away. A kiss hadn't been scripted into the dance, although it certainly looked like Fred would've given anything to kiss her passionately at that moment.

He gently took her hand, and continued the dance slowly. They had to turn away from the camera twice, and, the first time, Ginger almost let out a gasp as he stepped back in an abruptly fast fashion. But she regained her cool and kept pace with her partner, making a mental note to mention that teasingly after the shoot was over.

Then, Fred did something she didn't expect.

He planted a kiss on her lips - something quick, almost so light that Ginger didn't even feel it, but it was a kiss, all right. So, _that_ was what he had meant by "something Tony Flagg" would do. Instantly, her grip on his arm tightened, and she felt his rock-solid muscle underneath that immaculately-done tailcoat. Part of her wanted to stop dancing right there and then, and continue kissing him, but she was aware that the cameras were still rolling. Odds were that none of the crew members had even noticed.

Ginger had noticed, though. The taste of his lips lingered against hers and her legs almost felt wobbly. They had kissed several times before, but never in front of the camera. The fact that they had shared a kiss in a movie that was gonna be shown all over the world made her feel all tingly on the inside, simply because no one except the two of them knew about it.

Before she knew it, Fred lifted her in the air, and the feeling was almost dizzying to her. They had practiced that many times, and again, he was always there for Ginger. He set her back down on the ground, bringing her back to earth, and the two of them finally came to a rest on the bench. The two dancers held that position, lost in their own thoughts.

"Cut!" Mark yelled, and as soon as that word was uttered, everyone else got into action. Fred broke character, and a grin spread across his face.

"Did you like that?" He asked, obviously referring to the kiss.

"It was unexpected." Ginger responded, looking down, and a light blush colored her cheeks. "I bet you're gonna lobby for this to be in the final cut." Her gaze wandered to his lips again, recalling the pressure of his against hers.

"Was there any question about it?" Fred responded, running his fingers up her arm. He edged closer towards her, his eyelids fluttering. "Too bad they'll only get to see the trailer of what's coming next." His voice was a low, sensual whisper, and with that, he pulled Ginger towards him, kissing her _properly_. Her skin was so smooth, so lovely, and he had to control himself from reaching for her bra strap right there and then.

"Hey, kids, that was-" Hermes had started towards the two of them, but stopped himself when he saw what was happening between them. With an exaggerated sigh and a roll of his eyes, he turned right in the other direction, muttering under his breath. "These two _never_ stop."


End file.
